im a newbie needin help

ok i have a 72 50 hp hydro electeric drive, ok at first i couldnt get it out of forward, yesterday i hooked up a 12v source to the lower end and it did shift, hooked it all back up today and everything seems to be workin fine , the original owner said that something was wrong with the lower end not shifting, well now it shifts, hmmm should i worry? i ran a test light almost the whole time and each time i had good power to the lower end. but i still have a few ?S i ran this motor for about 5 min on and off with the muffs, water coming from all kind of holes, guessing thats where they come from, but how do i know if the impeller is working, also is there a thermostat in this model? and one more thing its missing a toggle where the choke toggle goes but it does have a manual choke under the front of the motor, seems like it has 3 set positions all the way in 1/2 way and all the way out, now if i put this lever about 1/2 out between the middle and all the way out then it idles ok, push all the way in it revs to the moon, if u leave it at 1/2 still revs and all the way out it dies, so what should i do about that?
il probably have more ?S later when i think of them,
thanks for all the help
Jeremy

Re: im a newbie needin help

there is no seal between the lower and midsection, gasket on the exhaust housing may be bad where it meets the lower. sounds as if you have the shift straight. choke all the way in is manual off, 1clik out is so it can be operated by the remote control, which is missing. all the way out in manual choke. all the way out you are flooding it. sounds as if the carbs need cleaning and adjusting, and a link n sinc. i have a 71 50hp and manual.

Re: im a newbie needin help

thanks tashasdaddy,how do i link n sinc?, bought a clymers manuel and now i wish i didnt, but one thing i did get the automatic choke working someone just took the choke toggle off, dont know why, but it does work thanks for the help
Jeremy

Re: im a newbie needin help

First thing you'll want to do is test the compression, its very easy to do and all you need is a 20 dollar screw in type compression tester. Second, you should always change the impeller if unsure when was last done, they should be changed about every 3 years, although some do it more often, some less. Thirdly, you should check your plug condition and spark, most ppl change them every season. This article is a good one by joe reeves stating how to generally check over your motor. GL and enjoy

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=188767